Opposition 'flogging dead horse' over Bofors issue: Cong

The Congress on Wednesday justified the withdrawal of case against prime accused Ottavio Quattrocchi in the Bofors issue and accused the opposition parties of "flogging a dead horse" over it.

"How long you are going to flog this dead horse? Foundation of several political careers are built on this dead horse and the government has taken an upfront legal and political call," party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told media persons.

"If any body desires, he should go to the trial court and oppose the closure of the case," he added.

Singhvi said that the party was "not surprised" by the opposition attack but sought to counter-attack the Bharatiya Janata Party by asking why the National Democratic Alliance government led by it failed in Malayasian courts, from lower to the top, in the case seeking extradition of Quattrochchi.

Earlier BJP spokesperson Ravishankar Prasad had said, "The principal beneficiary of AE Services, which had worked to get Bofors, the contract, is Ottavio Quattrocchi. The Government of India is deliberately misrepresenting facts to save Quattrocchi."

Dismissing the charge, Singhvi said if things were so clear why no single conviction could be ensured by the NDA government, which was in power.

Earlier another party spokesperson Manish Tewari had said, "The opposition has been bringing out the phantom of Bofors from the cupboard and slaying it again and again for the last 23 years."